The Unchained Melody of Life
by Tetsuwan Penguin
Summary: A totally different take on the Astro Origin story. This one is centered on Tobio, rather than Astro. Hoshie is in this version. This story should be a real tear jerker, especially the ending, so keep that box of Kleenex handy! Rated T because no punches on life are pulled here.
1. Chapter 1

**The Unchained Melody of Life**

_This story is yet another variation of the Astro Boy origin story. More emphasis has been placed on Tobio in this version than on Astro, for reasons that will become apparent as the tale unfolds._

_NOTE: Astro Boy is the creation of Osmau Tezuka. _

**Chapter One**

**Dr. Uma Tenma** had three loves in his life; his wonderful wife Hoshie, his beloved son Tobio, and his job at the Institute of Science. He was a devoted father, a loving husband, and was also dedicated to his career as a leading robotic scientist. At times he did have a problem setting priorities in his life; often he would work late, coming home devastated that he had ignored his son and wife. After such an occasion, Uma would try to make it a point to leave early from work the next day to make up for his previous indiscretion. Sometimes though, it might be many days before he could return to a more normal schedule. In such cases, he might take a week off from work to even things out. It was a balancing act that he constantly performed. Hoshie understood it all too well, she could see the joy in Uma's eyes when he was with her and Tobio, and also when he was busy at his job. She almost hated to bother him by calling him at work on the video phone; he was never mad when he answered the phone to take her call, but she could always see the look in his eyes that he wanted to get back to his work.

For years robots had been mindless servants, doing only the tasks they had been programmed to perform. If a robot ran into a problem that its programming didn't cover; it would either malfunction, or perform the task in error; sometimes with disastrous results. Later robots had the ability to make simple decisions for themselves; they could adapt to problems that their programming didn't cover, at least sometimes. What Tenma had sought to develop was often referred to as Kokoro, the ability for a robot to think like a human being, as if it had a real conciseness or soul.

The basis for all robot AI been laid down by Dr. Kutcher years ago, his work was the foundation for all modern robot AI software. Just before he died, Dr. Kutcher had bequeathed to Tenma his final discovery. It was an algorithm that could finally make Tenma's dream of Kokoro possible. Tenma was so paranoid about Kutcher's final discovery being stolen from him that he refused to keep any of the details on a computer system that could be hacked into. He kept the only known copy of the data on a secure read only memory stick that he wore around his neck, like a pendent on a chain, under his shirt. It never left his person. Tenma knew that secretly, there were two other copies of the data, one was buried in Kutcher's casket with his body, the other's location had been known only by Kutcher, and therefore would probably never be found. Someday soon, Tenma hoped to make use of Kutcher's final discovery and create a robot AI with the full Kokoro he sought.

While the Kokoro initiative was his pet project, there was also the super robot that he was now spending most of his time on, he now had most of the laboratory staff working on it. When completed, this robot would be able to handle the most dangerous work that the police, fire fighters, rescue workers, and even soldiers now had to handle. How much better the super robot would be if he could complete the kokoro initiative at the same time!

**Tobio Tenma**'s ninth birthday was approaching and his parents wanted to get his something special. Uma had already planed an outing at a local amusement park, and he and Hoshie had been looking though the stores trying to find something he'd like. One thing that they had already surprised him with was enrollment in a 柔道 (Judo) class. He'd already had a few lessons as the class had started a few weeks ago. Tobio was one of the smaller kids at school and had complained about being picked on by bullies, Uma had thought that learning one of the martial arts might boost the boy's self confidence.

Dr. Tenma took Tobio to the high school where the Judo class was being offered in one of the community rooms. The instructor, Higeoyaji Ban, had been in the military and now taught physical education in the high school. He worked with younger children over the weekends and a few evenings a week. Dr. Tenma sat on the sidelines with a few other parents while the youngsters had their lessons on the mats. Many of the parents just dropped their offspring off and would pick them up two hours later, but Uma loved to watch Tobio trying to learn his Judo.

Today Higeoyaji was demonstrating how to disarm an attacker. It was something that a few of the boys had asked to see. He asked for a volunteer from one of the parents, and Uma stepped up. Higeoyaji handed the doctor a fake hand gun carved out of a block of balsa wood. Dr. Tenma pulled the pistol out of his pocket and pointed it at the instructor, who then faked a move to one side and quickly came out of nowhere to knock the weapon from Uma's hand. The class cheered, and then the boys got their turn to try the move. Tobio picked it up right away and easily disarmed his father.

"Don't you think it's a bit risky showing the boys that?" Tenma asked the instructor. "They easily mastered it against me, but I was hardly threatening. If they had to do it for real, it might not end so well."

"If they practice what I teach them, they will be OK." Higeoyaji replied. "I wouldn't expect them to be able to do something like that tomorrow, or even next month, but by the time they finish my class they WILL be able to defend themselves quite well."

During the rest of the session the class practiced the disarming move, and then went on to do their usual drills. Tobio was enjoying the class and was disappointed when it ended.  
"We'll be back again tomorrow for another session, Tobio." His father told him.

The boy smiled. "I really enjoy the Judo class father. Can well practice together at home?"

"You think you can throw your old man to the floor? Well, we will set up the practice mats outside in the back yard and we will see about that." Uma told his son.

**Hoshie Tenma **looked out the window into the back yard. Uma had dragged out several exercise mats and laid them end to end covering the patio's hard surfaces. He and Tobio were now Judo wrestling, giving the boy a chance to show off his newly learned skills on his father. Dr. Tenma allowed his son to throw him on the mat quite a few times. The boy was actually pretty good at it, it was only the fact that the father outweighed the son by about three to one that would have made some of his feats impossible without a small amount of 'lack of enthusiasm' on his fathers part.

Hoshie was pleased that Uma was paying so much attention to his son. The man tried, but so often he got so tied up in his work that he actually might not come home for a few days on end, or work such long hours that he'd get home after both the boy and herself had already gone to bed. Still, after going on such workaholic binges for days, even weeks at a time; Uma would switch modes and become a real family man again. He was in that mode at the moment, hopefully to remain so until at least after his son's birthday.

**Poindexter Drake** had been working at the Institute of Science for several years now. Drake was an expert mathematician, and was also were versed in A.I. theory. He had been doing most of the theoretical work on all of the robot development at the IOS, and his work was well know by Dr. Tenma.

Drake's abilities in mathematics first showed themselves when he was in high school, and he really blossomed in college. Drake didn't need to spend very much time studying, his brain was like a sponge and he quickly caught on to everything he was exposed to in class. This left him a bit too much idle time, something that would get him into hot water.

During his college days, a few upper class men had noticed Drake's mathematical mind, especially his mastery of the laws of probability. Drake was also an excellent chess player, he could see the game many moves in advance. He had an excellent memory as well, rarely forgetting items he had seen and in what order over hours at a time. One evening, he was invited over to a frat house for a friendly game of poker. Drake remembered every card that was played and he was able to formulate in his mind the odds of each player having a winning hand. While they were only playing for penny stakes, by the end of the night Drake was up several hundred dollars.

The event wasn't lost on the frat men, a week later they shanghaied Poindexter and dragged him down to a local casino to see how good he might be at the black jack table. They didn't have much money to stake him, so they went to the low stakes table where all the old ladies and beginners played. Drake sat there, counting cards in his head and computing the odds as he played. The boys left the casino that night with enough cash to have dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town.

Eventually, Poindexter was hooked on the games of chance and he became a regular at the casino. He left the frat men to themselves, and now gambled on his own. Drake moved up to the more exclusive tables where he was playing against some very heavy hitters of the gambling set. As in most casinos, the mob had a large interest in the place, and they took a dim view of someone becoming too good at the games. They knew Drake was counting cards, they just couldn't prove it because he did it all in his head.

The mob finally had enough of Poindexter's cheating, for that is how they viewed his skill. They set him up to fall by stacking the decks against him. They called in their best dealers who could manipulate the game such that even a card counter like Drake would not have a fair chance. At the end of the night, Drake found himself deeply in debt to the mob. Drake thought he was done for, that they would kill him. However he was simply thrown out of the casino and told to never come back. The big boss did tell him, "One day Mr Drake, you are going to be someone important, I can see it in you. You owe me big time, and I have a marker on you. One day, I'm going to call in that marker, and you will do what I ask of you."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Unchained Melody of Life**

_This story is yet another variation of the Astro Boy origin story. More emphasis has been placed on Tobio in this version than on Astro, for reasons that will become apparent as the tale unfolds._

_NOTE: Astro Boy is the creation of Osmau Tezuka. _

**Chapter Two**

**Marukubi Boon** was a financier. Not the usual kind that you see on wall street, though his investments were just as profitable, although perhaps a bit riskier. He bought and sold human souls. His clients were all members of the mob that needed to unload 'markers' that they had no need to collect on, but wanted to cash them in to 'get them off the books'. Such markers were usually poor suckers that had debts owed to bookies, loan sharks, or drug dealers. Some markers were in the form of favors owed between 'Dons'. Boon sometimes acted as 'enforcer' on these markers collecting the debt himself. Other times, he'd buy and sell the markers for profit without the soul on the dirty end of the chip ever knowing. Recently he'd purchased two markers from a mob boss that had taken them in trade from a casino operator who'd wanted to cash them in. The poor souls whose lives were now in Boon's hands were one Poindexter Drake and a Skunk Kusai.

**Skunk Kusai **had been in and out of trouble for all of his life. He'd been in jail a few times, but mostly he'd drifted from one crime gang to another. He owed a few favors to the mob, but rarely had he been forced to pay up on them. When he had, it was usually in the form of doing some of their dirty work; he'd murdered a few people, and had broken a few arms and legs here and there. Kusai was now in the employ of Marukubi Boon, who needed his muscle to help him on some 'collection' business. He didn't mind doing it, he rather enjoyed the physical torture on his fellow human beings. Skunk sat with his employer in the back of the stretched limo, parked in the shadows a few blocks from the Institute of Science.

**Sapphire Knight** had known Poindexter Drake since before he had graduated from college. She worked in the college bookstore in those days, now she was employed by the Metro City public library. She and Drake had been seeing each other on and off for years, but recently their relationship had become more steady. She'd meet him during his walk home from the IOS, usually she waited for him at the front door, unless one of them was running late. She had finally admitted to herself that she was deeply in love with the nerd and she wished he'd get the nerve to pop the question.

**Poindexter Drake** lived about a mile from the Institute of Science. He had a small apartment flat that suited his needs quite well. He had lived there for several years now, and he knew the area between his residence and the IOS like the back of his hand. During the warmer months of the year, Poindexter would walk the distance between his home and the IOS, when the weather was bad, or during the winter, he'd take the bus. Metro City had an excellent public transit system, between the many bus routes, commuter rail, and subway systems, it wasn't necessary to own an automobile. On this eventful day, Poindexter walked the distance from his apartment to the IOS as usual.

**Dr. Tenma **walked out of the large laboratory where the parts for his super robot prototype were being assembled by the technicians. He entered a smaller laboratory where several banks of computers were waiting to run simulations. He sat at a terminal and studied several sets of equations. Somewhere in the jumble of numbers was the answer to the riddle that he had been living with ever since Dr. Kutcher had given him the raw data from his final discovery. Uma had gotten closer and closer to realizing the answer to using Kutcher's theory in a working AI, but the final solution evaded him. He finally decided to get some help with the complex math, and he knew just who to ask.

"**Could you please come over to the A.I. laboratory, Mr. Drake?" ** Tenma asked Poindexter over the phone.  
"Sure, I'll be right over." He answered. Drake left his office and walked downstairs to the laboratory level. He'd been in the AI simulations room many times before to make use of the super computers that the laboratory contained. Here, new AI algorithms could be rapidly tested using processors many times more powerful than the desktop machines they had in their offices.

Tenma was seated at an isolated workstation. That particular machine was a standalone computer which was not connected to any network, or even a printer. It was a secure computer used to examine restricted documents, all input ports were heavily screened by anti virus processors, and heavy encryption devices.  
"I'd like you to look at something, Mr. Drake. I haven't shown this to anybody since it was given to me by the late Dr. Kutcher years ago. He wanted me to incorporate his final theories into an advanced form of AI. He'd kept this discovery secret because he was afraid of it falling into the wrong hands. I have the only copy of his formula in a computer readable format. It's protected, and can only be viewed on a computer with the correct encryption I/O processors."

Tenma fished a chain out from around his neck and pulled it out from under his shirt. Attached to the chain was a gold plated rectangular box. It was an ornamental thing, almost like a bit of jewelry and was even decorated with a few semi-precious stones. He pulled it open to review a connector and he plugged it into the workstation computer.

"This is a special read only memory storage device. It can't be read from any computer that doesn't have the correct decryption hardware, and you can't copy or print the files without knowing the encryption keys. I've committed those to my memory."

Tenma opened a page of mathematical formula and it displayed on the workstation.  
"I know you have a photographic memory, Mr. Drake. Please examine these equations carefully. Now compare them with what I've been working on this other terminal." Uma pointed to a computer station a few feet away. Drake walked back and forth between the two, then he concentrated his attention on the station with Tenma's developmental work.

"You've deviated slightly from them in the original. There are several expansions in a series that have not been completed. If you take care of that, it should be close to what Kutcher was trying to do." Drake explained.

Tenma looked over the area where Poindexter was pointing to.  
"Yes, I see it now. Thank you Mr. Drake. I'll let you know if I need any more help"

Tenma removed the memory device from the workstation and replaced the chain around his neck, and hid the device under his shirt again.

"Excuse me, Dr. Tenma, but do you always keep that memory fob on your person? I mean, don't you trust leaving it in a safe of something?" Poindexter asked.

"I guess I'm being a bit paranoid and a bit emotional. I've worn this chain since the day Kutcher gave this to me. He had three of these memory devices made up special. They can only be read on a specially equipped computer. As you can see, they are disguised as a piece of simple jewelry. Besides its technical value, this device is also a keepsake for me. Kutcher was a dear friend, and this trinket is like a part of him, to me."

**Poindexter Drake** was walking home from the Institute. Sapphire wasn't waiting for him by the street as she often did. He waited about five minutes and then decided to start for home. She might catch up with him half way, which she did about half the time. Whenever Drake was away from his job at the IOS it was Sapphire Knight who was on his mind. One of these days he would get the courage to ask for her hand. His thoughts were so clouded with her lovely image that he didn't notice the black stretched Lincoln Town car following him until it was too late.

Skunk Kusai had his hand over Drakes mouth as he pulled him into the back of the automobile. The rear of the limo had two bench seats facing each other. He was now sitting facing the rear of the vehicle with Skunk next to him. Poindexter was facing a well dressed man sporting a mustache and a beard, wearing mirrored glasses and a white hat. The man was completely dressed in white, his clothes were spotless and well pressed. He had a bamboo cane next to him, which he held in his left hand, the fingers of which sported several large gold rings studded with diamonds and rubies.

"I'm very glad you could join us Mr. Drake. I'm sorry for the manor in which this invitation was presented to you, but such is the nature of my business. I could not take the risk of your refusing my offer." The man in white held out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Drake.

"Care for a smoke. I can assure you these are the best cigarettes money can buy."

Drake shook his head.  
"Oh well, your loss" The man in white shrugged his shoulders as he removed a fag from the pack and lit it with a diamond encrusted gold lighter. He took a deep drag and blew the smoke towards Drake.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Marukubi Boon. I am a trader in debts and favors. You owed both to a casino operator acquaintance of mine, and I bought your marker from him. Now he has you off his books, and you belong to me. The purpose of this meeting is for me to start you off on your new employment with my concern."

"I already have a job, Mr. Boon. I have no interest in leaving it or working for you. Why don't you just let me know what I owe you and we can settle this." Drake said.

"I'm afraid it won't be quite that simple, Mr. Drake. Your marker cost me quite a sum, it would take you many years to earn that kind of money. However, you are in an excellent position at the Institute of Science to earn your release from debt by simply doing me a few favors. I know that a certain Dr. Tenma who is also employed at the IOS in in possession of certain engineering secrets having to do with robotic AI, something he is referring to the Kokoro initiative. I have a client that wishes to obtain these secrets; a client who will pay me quite a sum to get them, enough even to wipe out your debt to me and still leave me with quite a profit. So you see, your task will be quite simple. All you have to do is locate Tenma's secret documents and get me a copy of them."

Drake's face turned ashen. He didn't want to reveal the fact that he knew where Tenma hid the data that Boon wanted.  
"How do you know about Tenma's Kokoro project? Besides, I don't have access to his secret data files, though I do have access to the super robot project though." Drake stammered.

"I've had some spies plant listening devices in the IOS some time ago, so I know what's going on. The super robot project would make a good plum, but I require all of his data on the Kokoro initiative. If you don't have the stomach to do the dirty work we'll let Skunk here assist you." Boon pointed to Kusai sitting next to Drake who looked at him and smiled from ear to ear. "Mr. Kusai is an expert at obtaining treasures, his methods vary from break ins to strong arm robberies, what ever it takes."

"No!" Poindexter yelled. "I won't allow you to hurt Dr. Tenma or his family. I'd rather quit my job at the IOS than cause harm to him."

"If you don't help me I can call in my marker in other ways, you could find yourself at the bottom of the harbor encased in cement. I have an even better idea, I could collect my losses from a Ms. Knight."

"No, you leave Sapphire out of this!" Poindexter cried.

"Take it easy Mr. Drake. There is no reason to get her involved, so long as you cooperate that is."

The black automobile stopped a few blocks from Drake's apartment flat.  
"You can get out here Mr. Drake. We'll be in touch again shortly. I have your cell phone number, you can expect a text message from me at anytime."

Skunk opened the door to the Limo and helped Drake out. He gave Poindexter an evil grin, and got back into the car, which then drove away.

**The next morning **at his desk, Poindexter quickly wrote down the page of formula he had seen on the computer screen. He was able to reproduce it all from memory with perfect accuracy. It was, however only one page of many. He had no idea just how many pages of formula Kutcher had entrusted to Tenma. Maybe if he gave Boon just a taste of the information, that might be enough to satisfy him. Deep in his heart, Drake knew that would not happen. If he could get the pendant from Tenma long enough to copy it, he figured he could break the encryption to do this, he could be free of Boon.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Unchained Melody of Life**

_This story is yet another variation of the Astro Boy origin story. More emphasis has been placed on Tobio in this version than on Astro, for reasons that will become apparent as the tale unfolds._

_NOTE: Astro Boy is the creation of Osmau Tezuka. _

**Chapter Three**

**Poindexter** and Sapphire sat next to each other in the luncheonette at the counter, holding hands. The last thing that Drake wanted to do was to tell Sapphire about his encounter with Boon the night before, but he had to keep her safe.  
"I don't think we should be seeing each other for awhile, Sapphire." Poindexter told her.  
"I'm in a bit of trouble, and I don't want to get you involved. Please don't ask me to explain any  
further, it's best that you don't know."

Sapphire felt hurt by this, but Poindexter squeezed her hand and looked sincerely into her eyes.  
"Alright dear, but I'd like to help if I can," she begged.

"NO, there isn't anything you can do. Believe me, it's for the best, you could be in danger." He blurted out, instantly regretting saying it.

They parted, Sapphire holding back her tears. Poindexter was determined to somehow get out of the predicament that he was now in.

**Late in the afternoon** Drake's cell phone buzzed with the announcement of an incoming text. It was Boon: "_Expect to meet you this evening. For your sake, I hope you have something to show me."_

**That evening**, Drake was met by the same black limo that he'd encountered a few days earlier.  
"Do you have the information with you Mr. Drake?" Boon asked.

Poindexter opened his attache case and handed Boon the folder he had prepared.

"Excellent!" Boon smiled as he thumbed through the pages. "It's a very good start, but its obvious to even me that you've only scratched the surface here. I will forward this to my contacts, and if they identify this as the real article, and not an attempt at trickery on your part, I'll allow you more time to get me the rest of what I need."

"Don't worry, that information is genuine. Tenma is spoon feeding me bits and pieces of his secret formulas. I'm going to have to allow him to share that data with me at his own pace for now. As he grows more dependent on my help I should get more access to those files." Drake said.

"I don't think that timetable will suit my superiors. You will have to find out where Tenma keeps that data and get it yourself." Boon replied "Otherwise, your girl friend may suffer."

Drake was nervous and scared. Boon's threats against Sapphire had been eating him up. He decided to tell Boon where Tenma had the data if necessary, hoping he might obtain some more time.

"No, you leave Sapphire out of this!" Drake yelled.

"I think you know more than you are telling. Skunk, maybe you should pay Ms. Knight a visit later"

"OK!" Drake caved in. "Tenma is so paranoid that he keeps the Kutcher data locked up in a secure memory fob that he wears around his neck in a jeweled pendant."

"It may be necessary to get that memory pendant from the doctor by other means. It may be necessary to leave that problem with Mr. Kusai." Boon replied.

Skunk smiled. "I can search Tenma's home for the thing while the family is out, but if he is really keeping it on his person all the time we may have to stage an old fashioned street mugging. The best way to handle that would be to wait for catch the whole family alone, or at least the good doctor and his wife or his son. He'll be more likely to hand over the goods if he thinks his wife or son were at risk. By himself, he could put up a struggle, and I might have to kill him over it."

"NO! You leave your slimy hands off Tenma's family." Poindexter yelled.

Skunk contained his anger at that remark, but just barely.

"You have a little time to do it your way, Poindexter. But not very long. If you can't get Tenma to give you the data, or take it from him yourself, then Mr. Kusai will handle it. We'll be in touch." Boon said.

Once again Poindexter found himself out in the street a few blocks from home. He face palmed and sighed. What was he going to do?"

* * *

**"So Tobio,** where would you like to go for your birthday?" Hoshie Tenma asked her son.

"After your Judo lesson tomorrow, I was thinking we should celebrate by going out for dinner. It will be you choice of restaurant." Uma Tenma said.

"Can I sleep on it?" Tobio asked.

"Sure, I guess so. I don't think we'll need reservations for a week night, unless you decide you'd like to go to one of the best steak houses in Metro City." Uma laughed.

* * *

**Marukubi Boon **looked at Skunk Kusai and asked "So what do you think, Skunk? Will we have some problems with Mr. Drake?"

Skunk smiled back at his boss. "Poindexter isn't scared of your threats against him. He didn't bat an eye when you suggested you'd bury him under the harbor. He was defiant when you first 'invited' him in. But when you mentioned that Sapphire chick, that's when I saw the first sign of fear in his eyes. Another thing. He won't take that memory thing off Tenma. He's too much of a chicken shit to do it. He might be able to talk it out of him, but what I've heard of Dr. Tenma, I'd give him a snowball's chance in hell on that."

"I quite agree with you Skunk. You are an excellent judge of character. I'm really glad to have you in my employ." Boon replied. "Now the way I see things we still need Drake because Tenma's memory fob is probably encrypted, and we will need him to break it. Also Drake is the only one, other than Tenma, who can make sense of the data. I agree with you, Tenma would be a tough nut to crack. We may have to invite Ms. Knight to stay with us as leverage. In the mean time, why don't you follow Tenma and see if he keeps that memory fob on his person all the time. I'm sure you can spot it without him knowing you've done so. If he does leave it home when he's not at the IOS, then a home break in would be in order. Otherwise, we go to plan B. Make sure you make it look like a burglary or a robbery by getting the wife's jewelry as well. That way Tenma might not suspect it was the memory fob the thief was after."

* * *

**The next day **Skunk Kusai followed Dr. Tenma home from the Institute of Science. He easily noticed the slight bulge that the chain made around his neck, and under his shirt. When Uma Tenma left his house the memory fob was still on the doctor's person. Skunk followed from a distance. He would wait till after dark to attempt the robbery. It was too risky during the day in this part of town.

**Dr. Tenma **met his family at the high school. He arrived only a few minutes after Tobio's Judo class had started.  
"Did I miss anything?" He asked sitting down next to Hoshie.

"No dear, the class is just starting their warm up exercises." She said.

Higeoyaji Ban quickly went through all of the drills that the class had been performing for the past few weeks. Once again he had some of the better students attempt the disarming maneuver. Tobio performed all of the drills perfectly, and ended the night with the highest number of points. He had been attending the Judo class for a few weeks now, and had already attained the rank of Fifth kyu to earn his white belt.

The family left the high school at dusk. Tobio had decided on a sushi dinner for his birthday, and there was an excellent sushi restaurant within walking distance of the school. Skunk followed, keeping in the shadows. He felt for the Glock pistol in his pocket making sure the safety was on. Skunk lit up a cigarette and waited.

About ninety minutes after they had entered the restaurant, Hoshie, Uma and Tobio Tenma entered the brisk night air. They started walking home, taking the long way as Hoshie believed that the light exercise would help their digestion. It was a moonless night, and there were few streetlights once they had turned off the main street to take the back way around to reach their home.

**Skunk Kusai** had been following the family for several blocks. He finished his last drag on the reefer that he had been smoking to build up his nerve for what he had to do. Skunk jumped out of the shadows and drew his pistol from his pocket.  
"I require your wallet Sir, and any jewelry that you have on you" he spoke looking at the doctor, "Your's too." he added glancing at Hoshie.

Hoshie shrieked at the sight of the gunman and she pulled Tobio close to her. Uma stood silently and stared at Skunk, making eye contact with him.  
"You're just a common thief, you low life!" Uma scoffed.

"Please don't make this difficult, just give me what I want, and you can be safely on your way." Skunk waved the weapon about, pointing it at Hoshie, Tobio, and then back again at Dr. Tenma.

Tobio broke free from his mother's grip. He stood a few feet away from his father and stared at Skunk. Tobio had been practicing the disarming move in his Judo class, and he was running it over and over in his mind, calculating the timing and the distance. Skunk pointed the weapon at the boy and then back again at the father. He was getting a little nervous now that he had two of them in his immediate attention.

"Leave my son out of this," Uma said. He reached slowly into his pocket and withdrew his wallet, and slowly handed it to Skunk.

"I'll take that chain you are wearing around your neck too," Skunk cackled.

**Tobio** had made up his mind. Skunk was distracted at the moment that his father had given up the wallet. The instant that it was clear that Kusai had completely taken his eyes off of him, Tobio leapt at the attacker, and made a grab for the gun. Hoshie saw what her son was trying to do and panicked.  
"NO Tobio, don't try it!"

The events unfolded in slow motion. Skunk's attention was snapped back to the boy by his mother's outburst. Skunk and Tobio struggled for control of the gun. Uma dropped his wallet and threw a punch toward Skunk's face. Tobio started a flying kick toward the gunman's shin in a last ditch effort to salvage his attempt to disarm Kusai. The silence of the night was shattered by the report of a single gunshot as the weapon discharged. Hoshie screamed in terror. Tobio felt the hot projectile enter his chest and he was knocked backwards to the sidewalk.

Fear grabbed Skunk as he realized that the moment had gotten out of his control. He looked around him to see if anyone had seen his crime, and then in panic, he dropped the gun and ran. He disappeared into the night.

Tobio lay on the sidewalk. The intense pain that he had initially felt had passed, and was replaced with a numbness that quickly spread though out his body. He struggled for breath and his vision dimmed. He could hear his father calling his name in a strange echo reverberating in the distance.  
"Tobio! Tobio!" Hoshie held on to her composure long enough to call 911 on her cell phone. She then burst into uncontrolled sobbing and screaming.

Tobio was dimly aware of pressure being applied to his chest, alternated with air being blown into his nose and mouth. He slowly lost the sense of his own body, and started to feel very light. He was floating in the air, and could feel nothing. Slowly his mind cleared and his vision returned. Tobio looked down and saw his father applying CPR and mouth to mouth respiration on his body. He was floating above the scene. In the distance he heard the sounds of a siren and saw an ambulance approaching. Tobio was confused, what was happening? How could he see what he was seeing?

The paramedics lifted his body onto a stretcher and carried him into the ambulance. They continued to work on him with a respirator, and a defibrillator. Uma and Hoshie sat inside the ambulance near their son, as it roared off into the night. The med techs continued their efforts on Tobio's body. Uma held Hoshie's hand and held her close to him. She was now sobbing with her head buried in her husband's shoulder. Tobio was aware that he was present inside of the ambulance and saw the entire scene unfold in front of him.

The ambulance made it to the hospital emergency ward in record time. The stretcher with Tobio on it was yanked out of the back of the vehicle and with two doctors still working on him, Tobio was rushed into the hospital and hooked up to monitors, and a respirator. The heart monitor showed a flat line. A shot of adrenaline was administered using a long needle directly into his heart, and the defibrillator paddles were again applied. Tobio hovered over the operating table watching.  
"CLEAR!" the emergency room doctor ordered, and another burst of electricity was blasted into Tobio's body in an effort to restart his heart. The monitor momentarily showed a weak, irregular beat, but again flat lined.

The emergency room doctor looked up at the clock. "Call it" he sighed removing his mask and gloves.

"Time of death, 10:15" one of the med techs announced, pulling a sheet over the body.

_What! Are you giving up on me. I'm still here! _ Tobio didn't understand. He floated through the emergency room wall and into the corridor where his parents were standing. The emergency room doctor walked through the double doors and looked at them, his eyes drifted down to avoid contact with theirs.  
"I'm sorry. We did what we could. The bullet must have cut his aorta and he bled out internally before he got here."

Uma hugged his wife who was now crying uncontrollably.

Tobio could not believe what he had experienced. There was only one way to explain it. Tobio realized that he had just died, and that his kokoro had left his body. He was now a ghost.

* * *

_I warned you. Did you have the Kleenex handy? _


	4. Chapter 4

**The Unchained Melody of Life**

_This story is yet another variation of the Astro Boy origin story. More emphasis has been placed on Tobio in this version than on Astro, for reasons that will become apparent as the tale unfolds._

_NOTE: Astro Boy is the creation of Osmau Tezuka. _

**Chapter Four**

**Hoshie** alternated between whimpering and outright bawling. Uma did his best to comfort his wife but was having little success. He would occasionally wipe his own eyes and blow his nose, but for the most part he had kept his own grief to himself. He had asked that someone call him a cab so he and Hoshie could go home, but the doctor informed him that the police would probably want to talk to him right away, and that there was another matter that the hospital needed his signature on.

Tobio sat next to his mother. He tried to get her attention but it was immediately clear to him that nobody could see him. He reached out to hug Hoshie but his arm passed right through her as if it didn't even exist. Yet he could clearly see his own self, he was still dressed in the same clothes that he had been wearing to dinner just hours ago. He looked down at his shirt and could see the bullet hole where the fatal shot had entered his body. Tobio wanted to cry, but his eyes could produce no moisture. He felt so alone. Why was he still here? Had God abandoned him to walk the earth forever, all by himself?

**Detective Tawashi** had drawn the short straw that evening to cover homicide duty at the emergency rooms for the hospital district near the Institute of Science. He found Dr. Tenma arguing with one of the hospital staff.  
"For crying out loud, my only son was just killed, and all you bozos care about is for me to sign you damn paperwork! I need to get my wife home and sedated." Uma yelled.

"Excuse me sir, maybe I can help?" Tawashi came up to Tenma and flashed his badge.

"What do you want?" Tenma barked.

Tawashi put his arm around Uma and his wife and gently shuffled them over to a bench to sit down.  
"Wait here." he said softly.

Tawashi grabbed one of the nurses and flashed his badge. "Would you get that woman over there a mild sedative please. She's just witnessed her son's murder and she's just about lost it."

The nurse nodded to the detective and hurried off.

Tawashi returned to the Tenma's. "I'm very sorry for your loss Dr. Tenma. I'm detective Tawashi. Look, I know this is a real bad time but I need you to answer some questions. Also there is this little matter about an autopsy. Metro City law requires that an autopsy be performed for all homicides. We need your signature for our records to show that you've been informed about this."

The nurse returned with a syringe. "I have a mild sedative for your wife." she said to Uma.

"Thank you." Dr. Tenma whispered.

The nurse gave Hoshie the shot and she gradually calmed down. Towashi handed Uma a clipboard and a pen. Tenma quickly read the document, signed it, and handed the clipboard back to the detective who backhanded it to an orderly.

"While we are waiting for your cab, can you give me your story, Dr. Tenma? I only need the basic details for my preliminary report now."

Uma quickly recounted how Skunk had appeared from the shadows with a gun drawn and demanded their valuables. He held back his tears as he told how Tobio had tried to make use of his new Judo skills to disarm the thief, the struggle for the gun, and the boy falling down fatally shot. Tawashi handed the doctor a small package of tissues from his pocket and Tenma wiped his eyes again and blew his running nose.

"Thank you detective. Mine was full." Tenma said softly,

"I'll need you both to come down to the police station to give a statement, and whatever description of the murderer you can for our sketch artist. If we are lucky, maybe you might be able to pick him out from our on line mug shots."

"Sure, Detective Tawashi. I don't know what kind of shape Hoshie will be in come the morning, but I'll come down myself to the station if necessary."

"**Someone call for a cab?"** A man wearing a Metro City cab uniform called in from the door.

Tawashi helped Dr. Tenma and Hoshie to the waiting vehicle. He palmed the driver a couple of bills and told him that the police department was picking up the fare. Tobio followed his parents out of the hospital and into the cab. He sat up front next to the driver, but no one noticed him get in. The seat next to the driver wasn't depressed from his weight, as he had none. They drove back to the Tenma residence in silence. Hoshie was still in a sedated state from the shot and was calm, though her eyes were glazed over with tears.

**Dr. Tenma** carried Hoshie up to their bedroom. He undressed her, and manged to get her nightgown on her. Hoshie climbed into bed instinctively. She whimpered softly for a while before falling into a restless sleep. Uma took care of his own hygiene before getting into his bed clothes. He lay down next to his wife and turned out the lights in their bedroom. It took him awhile to silently cry himself out before he also fell asleep.

* * *

**Tobio** walked into his parents bedroom after they had fallen asleep. He tried to kiss his mother goodnight, but he couldn't touch his lips to her cheek, his face simply went through hers. Again he felt like crying but could produce no tears. He went to his own bedroom and quickly discovered that a ghost can't change its clothes. He lay in bed, but couldn't sleep. Perhaps that's something that ghosts can't do either he thought.

It was now about 2:00 in the morning and Tobio couldn't stand the silence in the house. He walked out through the front door and headed into the city. He didn't know what to do, but he couldn't stay in the house alone with his parents sleeping. He decided he'd come back in the morning when they were awake. He walked along the sidewalks of his neighborhood, and onto the main street of town. He headed toward the bright lights in the distance, and soon found himself in the center of the city. Though the hour was very early in the morning, there were still many shops still open to take cater to the night people. He could hear the rumble of a subway train though the ventilation gratings in the sidewalk.

Tobio walked down the stairs leading into the downtown subway station. He passed right through the turnstile without dropping in any fare, entered the station proper, and sat on the platform bench. A train had just left the station servicing traffic going in the opposite direction. He looked down the tracks but couldn't see the headlamps of the next train on his side. Suddenly he heard a voice yelling at him.

"Get out of here, this is MY station!"

The voice came from a dirty looking individual in torn clothing. He'd been hiding behind some vending machines when Tobio had entered the station. The man pointed at Tobio and yelled again.  
"I said GET LOST kid!"

"Wait! You can see me?" Tobio asked.

"Of course I can. YOU can see ME can't you, stupid!" The man yelled back at him.

The angry individual kicked a soda can lying on the platform. If flew right at Tobio, and passed through his head. Tobio didn't even feel it, and the can bounced behind him eventually falling off the platform onto the tracks.  
"This is my haunt kid. Go find your own!" he yelled.

Suddenly Tobio realized what was going on. The noisy individual who was yelling at him was also a ghost!

"Wait, Please!" Tobio pleaded. "I need your help!"

"I don't help nobody! I'm a mean, angry poltergeist!" the man sneered.

"Please, you're the only person that I've been able to talk to since …." Tobio sobbed.

The poltergeist looked at Tobio's face and seemed to understand.  
"You've just passed over haven't you kid?"

"What?" Tobio asked.

"I mean, you just died, didn't you kid?" he asked.

"Yes. Someone tried to rob my parents and I got shot. I watched my own death. Now I'm all alone."  
Tobio tried to cry, again he was able to sob, but without any tears.

The poltergeist walked over to him and put his arm around the boy.  
"I, I can feel that." Tobio sobbed.

"That's because we are on the same plane of existence. We can see and hear each other, we can even touch each other."

"No one can see us?" Tobio asked.

"Well, mostly." the poltergeist said. "There are some sensitive types that can see a ghost, but those people are very rare. Many people can hear us, especially when they are in the right frame of mind. There are others than can sorta sense a spirit is nearby, but they don't know they are doing it. I think most people are actually like that to some degree. Then there are the very rare folks that are so sensitive that a ghost can co-exist in their consciousness. I've taken control of a few willing hosts, and that's a real gift to be able to feel what it was to be alive again. You can't take over a person's body unless they allow it, and they can usually evict you at anytime."

"How were you able to kick that can at me?" Tobio asked.

"Ah, so you want to learn all about this ghost stuff, don't you. OK, I'll teach you. You've got all the time in the world now, you know."

Tobio looked up at the clock on the wall. It would be daylight soon. He wanted to get back home before his parents woke up.

"I've got to go now. Can I meet you here again tomorrow?"

"Sure kid. Till tomorrow."

* * *

"**You Bloody Idiot!"** Marukubi Boon yelled at Kusai as he slapped him across the face. "How did you manage to fuck up such a simple task. You handled that like a damn amateur!"

"I didn't know the stupid kid was going to practice his Judo on me!" Skunk yelled back. "He grabbed for my gun and then his father jumped into the fray. The gun just went off! I didn't intend to shoot anybody. Shit, I thought I had left the safety on!"

"I'll bet you didn't wear a mask or some kind of disguise either, did you?" Boon groaned. "Between Dr. Tenma and his wife, the police probably have a damn good description of you by now. You'd better lay low for a while, but don't even think of leaving town. You are going to help me get that memory fob from Tenma soon enough. I guess I'll have to put the screws to Mr. Drake myself!"

* * *

**The Institute of Science's** board of governors had interceded on Tenma's behalf with the police to get Tobio's body released from the hospital in record time. There wasn't much needed on the autopsy anyway, the cause of death was obvious, and it took the medical examiner under an hour to perform the procedure and sign the death certificate. Uma wanted to get the funeral over as quickly as possible so his wife could get on with her mourning.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Uma"**, **Dr. Ochanomizu said placing his hand on Dr. Tenma's shoulder.

"Thank you", Uma said as he held Hoshie's hand. They sat next to each other in the middle of the first row of seats in the funeral chapel.

Ochanomizu walked up to the open casket in front of the room to pay his last respects. He had been Tobio's god father, and he'd admired the boy very much.

Hoshie got up and walked up to the casket to gaze upon her son's face one more time. He looked so peaceful lying there. She started again to sob, and Uma had to get up and walk her back to the sit down before she lost all control. They'd been doing this for the last few hours now.

"**Dr. Tenma?"** Poindexter said. He was wearing the only suit that he probably owned. It fit well enough, and it smelled a bit of moth balls.  
"I'm so sorry. I heard all about it at the Institute yesterday."

"Thank you for coming", Uma replied.

"Listen doctor, I know this isn't the best time, but I have something I need to tell you. It's very important." Drake stammered.

Dr. Tenma looked around. The crowd had thinned out some. There were only a few hours left for the viewing, tomorrow would be the funeral proper. He put his right hand on Poindexter's back and directed him toward the back of the room.  
"OK, he said calmly, what's so important?"


	5. Chapter 5

**The Unchained Melody of Life**

_This story is yet another variation of the Astro Boy origin story. More emphasis has been placed on Tobio in this version than on Astro, for reasons that will become apparent as the tale unfolds._

_NOTE: Astro Boy is the creation of Osmau Tezuka. _

**Chapter Five**

**Tobio **got up from sitting next to his mother and followed his father to the back of the room. Something told him that he needed to hear what the man his father was talking to had to say.

"What did the man who attacked you look like?" Poindexter asked Dr. Tenma. "I need to know, did he look like this?" Poindexter pulled a hand drawn sketch out of his pocket.

"Where did you get that?" Dr. Tenma asked.

"I drew it myself. I take it from the expression on your face that this is the man that that killed Tobio. And if that is the case, then I am partially responsible." Poindexter told him.

Tobio moved closer to Poindexter to look at the drawing. He immediately recognized the face. It was the man who had shot and killed him.

"I think you'd better tell me the entire story." Tenma said.

"Yes I better. That man's name is Skunk Kusai. He's employed by a Mr. Marukubi Boon. Both are mobsters in the local underworld. Years ago, the mob tricked me and put a price on my head. I was caught counting cards while playing poker and blackjack at a mob owned casino. I was good at it, my memory and knowledge of the laws of probability gave me an edge. But they brought in their best dealers who were better cheaters than I was a good player. It wasn't a fair game, but I lost enough to them to be on the hook, and an easy target for someone like Boon. He found out I was working for the IOS, and he knew what you were working on somehow. He found out though me that you had Kutcher's missing discoveries. That's why Kusai tried to rob you that night. He was after the memory fob you always wear. We are both in danger, because they will try again."

Tenma took a deep breath. A look of anger crossed his eyes, and quickly evaporated.  
"You know, I was just a brazen as you at your age. I was just as good at the math, and my memory was probably just as sharp. I tried my hand at cards, and I believed I could beat the house. Only I bragged to the pit boss at the casino that I could do it. I told them I could count cards in my head. They asked me to prove it and I did. Of course, I wasn't allowed to leave the building with my winnings, but I did have the best steak dinner in my life at their expense."

"So what are we going to do?" Drake asked.

"I think you should go to the police. I've already fingered Skunk, I identified his mug shot for Detective Tawashi. Now that I know what they were after, I'm going to take some precautions." Uma said.

"Sir, the only reason I caved into Boon, was that he threatened my lady friend. She's still in danger, and knowing Boon, your wife might be as well." Poindexter added.

It took a little time for their conversation to sink in. Tobio now realized that his death was not the result of a random street crime. Larger forces were at work, and his parents were in danger. Maybe, he thought, that's why I'm still here; I have to protect them somehow. Tobio realized that there might be reason why his spirit was still on earth. He had a task left to him to fulfill before he could move on.

* * *

******Marukubi Boon **hung up the phone. His face turned white as a ghost. His markers had just been called in. He looked across at Skunk Kusai who had been sitting across the room smoking one of Boons very expensive cigarettes. Boon walked across the room and yanked the fag from Skunk's mouth.  
"It seems Mr Kusai, that you have caused me quite an embarrassment. Mr. Sankaku has lost his trust in me, and has demanded that I either make good on our arrangement NOW, or return the advance that he has fronted me. I cannot do the latter, that money has been spent on purchasing both Mr. Poindexter's marker and yours. So, it would seem to fall to the two of us to procure the Kutcher documents from Dr. Tenma."

Skunk pointed to himself as if to say, "who me?"

"I want you to follow Dr. Tenma. Just follow him for now. Keep me informed about where he goes, who he sees, what he does, even what he eats. We will formulate a plan of attack. And for crying out loud, try and disguise yourself, at least a little. Here, wear these!" Boon handed Skunk a pair of mirrored sun glasses.

* * *

******That Evening, **Hoshie sat in the living room quietly. She slowly sipped from a glass of sake, her third of the evening. She felt a bit light headed from the alcohol, which also had a calming effect. The room was darkened, the only light came from down the hallway in the kitchen where Dr. Tenma was cleaning up after their dinner.

Uma had prepared dinner after they had come home from Tobio's viewing. He wasn't a very good cook, but he could prepare simple dishes. He'd made some comfort food for Hoshie in the form of ochazuke. Uma had topped the cooked rice with seaweed, pickled plums and cucumbers before adding the green tea. It was a plain dish, but one that Hoshie liked when she needed a boost in her spirits.

Tobio walked into the living room. Loneliness was still burning a hole in him, how he wished he could feel his mothers touch again. He laid his head in Hoshie's lap but couldn't feel her against his skin. He tried to remember how it had felt, just days ago actually. Tobio whimpered, producing a sound that no one could hear.

Perhaps it was the darkness, maybe it was having just eaten her favorite comfort food, and probably the alcohol had something to do with it as well. Hoshie suddenly felt that she wasn't alone in the dark room anymore.  
"Uma, is that you?" she called out.

"What dear?" Dr. Tenma called from the other end of the house.

"Nothing. I thought I heard something in the living room." Hoshie called back.

Hoshie took another sip of the sake, draining the glass. Tobio sobbed again, trying to cry.

Once again Hoshie felt a strange uneasiness that she couldn't place. She took a deep breath, and smelled something familiar. It felt like … Tobio?

******From the kitchen,** Uma heard his wife call out in terror. "UMA!"

He dropped the plate he had been drying, it hit the tile floor and shattered into many pieces. Uma ran to Hoshie to find her crying.

"I don't know what came over me dear." She stammered "I thought I heard something, like someone was moaning. The sound came from right next to me. I don't know how to explain it, but suddenly I felt Tobio's presence. I smelled something that reminded me of him. I don't know..."

Dr. Tenma picked up the empty sake bottle and the glass in one hand, and took Hoshie's in the other.  
"Let's get to bed dear. It's been a long day, and you've had just a bit too much to drink."

"Yes, I guess so" she said.

Tobio followed his parents to their bedroom. He looked the other way as his mother undressed and put on her nightgown. When they were both sleeping he tried to kiss his mother goodnight. He again felt nothing against his lips. Tobio left the bedroom and headed out the front door, to meet his new teacher in the subway station.

Hoshie suddenly sat up and shook Uma awake.  
"I felt him again! Uma, I think our son's spirit is in the house!"

Uma rolled over and kissed Hoshie. "His spirit will always be in our hearts, dear. The sake is making it seem more real, that's all."

* * *

******Tobio** entered the downtown subway station. He walked up and down the length of the platform looking for the poltergeist, but didn't see him.

**"****BOO!"**

Tobio jumped and turned around to see the dirty man laughing at his expense.

"Sorry kid, I just had to do that!" the poltergeist laughed at him.

"Don't you EVER do that to me again!" Tobio started crying.

"OK kid, I'm really sorry. You miss your folks don't you." he asked.

"Very much." Tobio sobbed. "I wish I could feel my mother hugging me. I can see and hear her, but she doesn't notice me at all."

"That's the way it is as a ghost, kid. Better get used to it."

"You kicked a can at me the last time I was here. How did you do that?" Tobio asked.

"Ah. That's the trick you see. A ghost can't touch anything because we don't have any substance, and least none that projects into this world. But we do have what remains of our life force. If you can get mad and concentrate your anger, focus on a point in space, you can push with it." the poltergeist explained. "Here let me demonstrate."

He pointed to a penny on the ground. He placed his finger against it and concentrated his thoughts. Tobio could see an expression of angst in his face when suddenly the penny jumped a few feet from his hand.

"That was a small push. With practice you can even pick up a small object, if you can maintain the emotion long enough and concentrate it in your hand. You can also use your feet" he said.

The poltergeist ran up to an empty bottle left on the platform. He kicked it with his foot, focusing his emotions on the tip of his shoe. The bottle flew across the platform and smashed into an upright girder breaking into pieces.

"See. It takes practice kid. Why don't you try it?"

Tobio saw a coin on the ground and bent down to touch it. He couldn't feel the coin of course, but he tried to push it with his mind. Skunk Kusai's image came to his memory, and he used it to feel anger. The bastard that killed him! Tobio imagined this anger in his hand and he flicked his fingers as if pushing the coin. Suddenly the coin shot a good twenty feet across the ground.

"That's it kid, you're getting the hang of it. Keep practicing."

Tobio imagined channeling his emotions between two fingers of his hand. He found he could generate enough force to suspend a coin between them and actually lift it off the ground. Tobio smiled at what he had done, but the joy killed the energy and the coin dropped.

"Don't worry. It takes time. You'll learn to control the life force." He assured him.

Tobio looked up at the subway clock. Mornings first light would be arriving soon.

"I'll come back again," Tobio said. "Thanks!"

"Sure kid. See you later."

Tobio walked quickly back to his former home. He lay down at the foot of his parents bed. While he couldn't sleep, he did manage to relax for the first time since his death. Maybe he would be able to reveal his presence to his parents indirectly. He needed to practice what he'd learned.

* * *

******The next morning **Hoshie got up and walked into the shower. Uma was already dressed, and was in the kitchen making some tea. Tobio followed his mother into the shower stall. It was something he would have never dared dream of doing while alive, but he was so lonesome for her that he wasn't embarrassed to be standing next to her naked form in the shower. The water spray didn't soak Tobio, since he was a ghost it simply passed through him. But something happened. His loneliness made him angry, and he exhumed his angry from every pore of his being. For an instant the force of his emotions repelled the water spray from him, and it formed an outline around him, taking his shape. For an instant the sun peeked from behind a cloud and shown though the bathroom window hitting the shower stall at just the right angle. Hoshie's eye's opened wide as she saw the outline of her son framed by the spray of water. It lasted for only an instant, but that was long enough.

Hoshie screamed in terror. Tobio ran out of the bathroom and hid under his parents bed. Uma ran into the bathroom to see what was wrong. He held Hoshie close to comfort her, getting himself soaked.

"I .. I saw him! Tobio was in the shower with me! He's here!" She sobbed.

* * *

******Dr. Tenma **held his wife's hand as he helped her out of the limo. The black Rolls Royce had followed the hearse carrying Tobio's casket. Tobio had sat unnoticed in the Rolls, next to his mother. He exited the automobile and walked by his parent's side. It seemed rather eerie to him to be attending his own funeral, but the thought of staying behind at home was even worse.

Lurking in the back of the crowd, Skunk Kusai was dressed in a dark coat and a top hat, and wore the mirrored glasses that Boon had given him. He kept his eyes on Tenma and Hoshie, but made no attempt to move closer to them. Tobio looked around. He was just a bit curious as to whom would be attending his funeral. Just behind him, Dr. Ochanomizu and Poindexter Drake stood solemnly. He recognized Detective Tawashi from the hospital. He also noticed the person way in the back wearing the top hat and mirrored glasses. Tobio stared at him and suddenly saw through his disguise. It was the man who had murdered him! Tobio took careful aim at a rock on the ground. He summoned his anger and ran forward to kick the stone. His aim was perfect, the projectile caught Skunk between the eyes knocking his glasses and hat off.

Skunk screamed in pain. Tawashi turned and identified the man as the one he had just issued an APB on. Skunk saw the detective and ran. Tawashi was in hot pursuit, but Skunk managed to dodge around the crowd toward his car to make a getaway.

Tobio watched as the casket was lowered into the ground, and shovel fulls of dirt were flung into the grave. Uma and Hoshie walked back to the limo. Tobio followed behind them, looking back at his grave once or twice. He cried with dry eyes in the Rolls as it drove the Tenmas back home.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Unchained Melody of Life**

_This story is yet another variation of the Astro Boy origin story. More emphasis has been placed on Tobio in this version than on Astro, for reasons that will become apparent as the tale unfolds._

_NOTE: Astro Boy is the creation of Osmau Tezuka._

**Chapter Six**

******Dr. Ochanomizu **did a double take when he entered the robotics lab and saw Dr. Tenma working at the main design station. The the technicians had already partly dissembled the super robot prototype that they had started to build just a week earlier. Uma was directing the operation, and there was a pile of parts that were being put aside.

"What are you doing here Uma? For crying out loud you only buried your son yesterday, shouldn't you be at home with Hoshie? She shouldn't be alone at at time like this." Ochanomizu asked.

Uma looked up at his long time friend and fellow scientist.  
"You know me Ochanomizu, my work is the best therapy for me. I'd be weeping like a fool at home. As for my wife, she's not at home, she's here with me. Right now she's in my lounge, probably re-decorating the place."

Dr. Tenma's "lounge", was a separate room next to his office. Officially he used it for casual meetings with clients. The lounge was actually a small bedroom complete with a large futon that doubled as a couch, a full bathroom complete with a shower stall, a small closet for several changes of clothes, two night stands, and a dresser. When Tenma had first started working at the Institute of Science, before he had married Hoshie and their son was born, he had been such a workaholic that many nights he never went home. He would often fall asleep for a few hours in his office, and would sometimes spend several days wearing the same suit of clothes. The staff jokingly had the maintenance crew convert the rarely used conference room next to Uma's office into a small bedroom, even adding a full bath. The next time Ochanomizu had found him napping in his office, he was handed the keys to the 'lounge'. Dr. Tenma had the last laugh, the very next day he brought in a suitcase with several changes of clothes, and his toiletries. He had once lived out of that bedroom for several weeks straight during an important project. Eventually, the Institute had added a few additional bedrooms in the office area for the benefit of other workaholic night owls.

Dr. Ochanomizu found the door to Tenma's lounge open. Hoshie was busy unpacking the last of several cardboard boxes she and Uma had brought in with them. The top of Tenma's dresser was now covered with mementos of Tobio's life, and many of his toys. It was as if she was building a shrine to her lost son. Ochanomizu quietly left and closed the door behind him.

He returned to the lab where work on the Super Robot project now seemed to be heading off in a new direction. Ochanomizu looked over Tenma's shoulder at the large monitor to see the master blueprints. Tenma waved him off as if he didn't want him to see what he was doing.  
"What is going on here Uma? Why are the technicians dismantling the prototype that you started on? Have you suddenly changed the purpose of this project?"

Dr. Tenma shrugged his shoulders.  
"I guess there's no point in keeping you in the dark. I've been a little concerned that some of the critical systems in the Super Robot would be a bit too hard to debug in a full size prototype. I've decided we should first build up a scaled down version to test some of the new ideas before going with the full size unit. We can salvage many of the original parts, so I'm having the technicians dismantle the prototype that we started work on, we'll save what we don't use in the scaled down model for later. We can have this two thirds size test bed ready in a few weeks, maybe less if we work multiple shifts round the clock."

The Super Robot was well named. The android would be powered by a 100,000 Hp fusion battery. Besides having super strength and advanced weapons systems, it would have jet and rocket engines in its lower legs, and particle beam cannons in its arms. Many of these systems were so advanced as to have never been tried before.

Ochanomizu touched the screen on the monitor and paged through the blueprints. He found what he was looking for and looked into Uma's eyes.  
"Don't BS with me Uma. I've never known you to avoid taking the bull by the horns and charging right in full steam. You've never been afraid of going for broke the first time with a full scale test. What's going on here?"

Dr. Tenma sighed.  
"You won't let the board know what I'm doing, will you?"

"I think I know your motives, my friend. If anyone asks, I'll tell them exactly what you just told me."

"Thank you. Very well, it's Hoshie. She's slowly losing it. I need something to take her mind off our loss, but her maternal instincts are too strong. I'd thought of bringing home a pet, but I don't really think that would work. I thought that maybe we could adopt a child Tobio's age hoping that would fill the void in her heart and snap her out of her depression. Maybe that would work eventually, but right now I'd have to find a child that was almost a dead ringer for Tobio."

"So you want to build the prototype for the super robot project in Tobio's image?"

"Yes." Uma confessed. "One of the design goals for the project was to produce a robot that was so much like a human, that it could be mistaken for a real person. The robot also has abilities that a real live person never would, that's why it will be able to take on roles in dangerous environments. I'm still going to test those systems in this prototype. There's just one issue though."

"Kokoro." Ochanomizu said.

"Exactly. If the robot is to double as Tobio well enough to be accepted by Hoshie, I must have the Kokoro initiative competed. I intend to bring Poindexter in on this project full time."

******Tobio **had never been inside the Institute of Science while he had been alive. He had never met his father there, and Dr. Tenma had never brought his son to work to show him around. Tobio had sat in the corner of the lounge while his mother had arranged his things for display. He sat with Hoshie after she finished unpacking the boxes and proceeded to sit on the futon sobbing and sipping sake. She no longer seemed like the mother he had remembered. Her grief was almost turning her into stone. Tobio walked out of the lounge and wandered the halls, looking for his father.

******Dr. Tenma** met with Poindexter in the AI computer lab.  
"I think we are going to work together for a while, Mr. Drake. I need your help to finish the Kokoro initiative. It's time I trusted you fully, I think." Dr. Tenma started.

He pulled the memory fob out from under his shirt hand handed it to Drake.  
"I've disabled the encryption for the next two access cycles. You may copy the files to your secure network storage, where it will remain available for two weeks before auto deleting itself. By then we should have the problem solved."

Drake looked at Tenma.  
"How do you know I won't just give the information to Boon?"

"I'll take that chance. I intend to put both the Super Robot project and the Kokoro initiative on a fast track. I've got the crew on the Super Robot project working three shifts now, so we can go 24/7 on the project. I want to finish it before Skunk or Boon have a chance to interfere. My wife and I are not going to stay at our home until the police find those men. I have a small bedroom in the building here that I often used when I was putting in long hours before I was married. There are a few other such quarters available in the building, I'd like if very much if you would take advantage of that."

Drake laughed. "You want me here full time by your side. Very well, I'd feel safer not making the trip back and forth every day with Boon and Skunk still at large."

******Dr. Tenma** contacted Sapphire Knight. He explained to her the reason that Poindexter had broke off contact with her, and invited her to have dinner with them at the Institute.  
"We've arranged for a caterer to bring some good restaurant fare brought into the Institute dinning hall." Uma told her. "It will be a surprise for Poindexter, I know he misses you."

******Dr. and Hoshie Tenma****, **didn't return to their home, they stayed in the IOS complex. They took their meals in the Institutes dinning hall. Dr. Ochanomizu retrieved some more of their clothes from the Tenma's home, and arranged laundry service for them. The police staked out Tenma's house hoping to catch Skunk should he return there.

* * *

******Skunk Kusai** lost track of Tenma. He hadn't seen him leaving his house or the IOS for many days now. It was like he had vanished from the face of the earth. Poindexter Drake also seemed to have disappeared as well. Neither of them had been seen traveling between their respective places of residence and the Institute for nearly a week. He considered the possibility that they were holed up inside the IOS, but he couldn't think of anyway to prove that. The place was like a fortress, you couldn't get in without an ID card and a biometric scan.

******Marukubi Boon **moved out of his penthouse suite and was now hiding at one of his business locations in the industrial part of town. So far he'd managed to stay below Mr. Sankaku's radar, but the Chinese mob would come gunning for him eventually if he couldn't produce what he had promised. Boon had received a text from Skunk complaining that he'd lost track of Tenma and Drake for days. Boon had Skunk tail Sapphire Knight at a distance. He was hoping that she might lead them to Drake. Skunk followed her from a ways off as he picked up on her having a police escort. Tawashi's men didn't exactly try to make themselves invisible. Skunk followed her from her apartment to the library where she worked. Later in the day when Sapphire left the library, Skunk again tailed her. He followed her back to the Institute. He didn't wait around for her to leave, he preferred to keep moving least a police patrol find him. Skunk figured that Drake and Tenma were holed up inside the Institute. They would need a plan to get inside somehow.

* * *

******Work on the **Super Robot was proceeding ahead of Tenma's schedule. Hoshie spend most of her time in the lounge sitting in a Buddhist prayer position while staring at her mementos of Tobio. She was consuming at least a bottle of Sake a day, and was barely eating. Uma tried to devote some of his attention to his wife, but he needed to get his robot completed, hoping it might snap Hoshie out of her depression. He knew she was fading fast, drifting deeper into depression, and alcoholism.

******Tobio** divided his time between trying to get his mother's attention and watching his father at work. He was fascinated by the robots the Institute was building, and he wished that his father had shared his work life with him while he had been living. Maybe his father would have when he had grown a bit older, but now he'd never know. The Super Robot was nearing completion. Tobio had noticed that it was being built like a clone of himself.  
"Dad is making a robot to replace me!" he thought. He realized that his father was doing this for his mother.  
"Mom really misses me as much as I miss her." Tobio cried.  
Late at night, Tobio walked the streets around the Institute. He kicked cans, rocks, and other trash about as he walked. He rarely returned to the subway, the poltergeist had already taught him everything he knew.

* * *

******Boon **finally decided that the only way to get at Tenma or Poindexter would be to make a grab for Ms. Knight. With the police keeping watch over her, it would be tough The one place that Skunk might have a chance was outside the Institute. Ms. Knight seemed to be visiting with Poindexter every night now at the IOS. With the top notch automated security inside of the Institute, and all of the robot guards outside, the police weren't bothering to stake out the place, they figured that security in and around the IOS was more than good enough without their presence.

"Stake the place out for a few nights and take note of when Drake's lady friend arrives, and when she departs." Boon told Kusai. "Then we'll set up a snatch and grab for her. I'll be the wheel man, and you'll be the muscle. Find a good spot for the deed, somewhere in the shadows."

Outside of the Institute of Science, the robot guards patrolled the area. Skunk had found a good place to hid, across the street from the Institute. Sapphire Knight had just entered the IOS for her nightly tryst with Poindexter. Skunk waited on a bus stop bench across the street where he had a good view of the building. He was under a burned out street light where he hoped he would be hard to see.

The hour was getting late and Tobio was returning back to the Institute after wandering around Metro City for the night. He spotted Skunk Kusai across the street from the IOS, smoking a cigarette. Sapphire had just left for home, and Skunk took note of the time. He was about to report in to Boon with the information. Skunk pulled out his Blackberry phone, opened the text message application, and started to type. Tobio got behind him and reached through his body to get his fingers on the phone's keyboard. He allowed his anger to punch the keys and typed "_MURDERER!_"

Skunk dropped the phone as if it were red hot. He leaped off the bench and looked around him but saw nobody. He carefully picked up the phone and sat down on the other end of the bench. Once again he started to try and send a message to Boon. Again Tobio reached for the keyboard and this time entered "_YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, SKUNK!_"

Skunk let out a shriek and smashed the phone onto the sidewalk. He started to walk quickly away from the area, but Tobio followed. Skunk paused for a moment looking around to make sure that he wasn't being followed. Tobio ran toward him and kicked at a large, freshly steaming pile of dog excrement on the ground. Skunk saw the paddy fly from the sidewalk all by itself, just before he got it full in the face. He turned blindly and ran across the street.

The Institute fronted on a busy street, even this late at night there was considerable traffic as the street connected to a major highway. Skunk ran right into the path of speeding car. His body was thrown a good thirty feet by the impact, into the back of a parked flatbed truck, loaded with building materials. He was impaled on a piece of rusty steel re-bar which was sticking out the back of the truck.

Tobio felt nauseous at the sight of Skunk. Blood was spurting out from where the steel rod had speared his body, and he hung in mid air suspended from the metal. Skunk gasped for breath, and blood poured from his mouth and nose. He stopped twitching and hung limp off the end of the truck. Tobio watched as Skunk's spirit left his body.

Skunk's ghost could now see Tobio and he stood there in shock.  
"I killed you, you can't be here." He yelled at the boy.

"Think again, Skunk." Tobio laughed at him. "You are now a ghost, just like me!"

Somewhere between Tobio and Skunk, the sidewalk cracked. A sinkhole opened in the ground and fiery steam poured from the pit. Suddenly several dozen dark creatures emerged from the hole in the ground. They were grotesque in appearance, with faces like gargoyles. The monsters ran toward Skunk and dragged him toward the pit where they had emerged. Skunk fought against them but they were too strong, and there too many of them. He was dragged kicking and screaming into the ground. As soon as the last of the monsters had reentered the pit, the hole closed up and the sidewalk regained its normal appearance. Tobio realized that he had seen something which most people only imagine in their worst nightmares.

Skunk Kusai's soul had just been taken to hell.


	7. Chapter 7

The Unchained Melody of Life

_This story is yet another variation of the Astro Boy origin story. More emphasis has been placed on Tobio in this version than on Astro, for reasons that will become apparent as the tale unfolds._

_NOTE: Astro Boy is the creation of Osmau Tezuka._

_**Chapter Seven**_

**Dr. Tenma **was feeding Hoshie from a bowl of Ramen with a spoon. She had refused to feed herself for a few days, and had fainted from low blood sugar when Uma found her lying on the floor of the lounge room. Hoshie sat on the edge of the futon with her husband sitting in a chair next to her with the bowl of noodles in his lap. She slowly chewed each spoonful and swallowed it, taking a sip of water now and then. Some of the color had returned to her face.

Tobio sat next to his mother. For the first time in days her eyes seemed to show some life to them, instead of being glossed over. He felt better knowing that his father was now paying more attention to her, now that the work on his robotic replacement was nearing completion.

**Inspector Tawashi **knocked on the door, and finding it unlocked pushed it open a crack. Dr. Tenma caught his gaze, and nodded that it was OK for him to enter.  
"Good afternoon, Doctor I have some news for you, is now a good time to talk?"

Tenma pointed to the corner of the futon and Tawashi sat down.  
"Early this morning Skunk Kusai's body was found not far from here, hanging from the back of a truck. It seems he was lurking across the street, watching the front of this building, perhaps waiting for you or Mr. Drake to show up. He must have been hit by a speeding car as he tried to cross the street. His body was thrown quite a distance, he died from the force of the impact with the back of a parked truck loaded with construction material." Tawashi left out the gory details for Hoshie's benefit.

"I guess that means only Marukubi Boon remains as a threat to Drake and my family." Uma replied.

"We're still looking for Mr. Boon. He hasn't been seen anywhere near his penthouse apartment for a few days. Some of my underworld contacts have indicated that the Chinese mob is after him. I think the Beijing underworld has sponsored the effort to steal your research and was using Boon as a contractor. I'd bet they gave him some upfront money, and are getting antsy about his failure to produce." Tawashi theorized.

* * *

**Skunk's death **made the morning newscast. The report noted that the murderer of the son of prominent scientist Dr. Tenma had been found dead from a hit and run traffic accident just across the street from the Institute of Science. Boon face palmed when he heard the news. That worthless jerk had managed to get himself killed in the most stupid manor. Now he would have to rethink his plans all over again.

Boon went over the videos that Kusai had emailed from his Blackberry phone, taken from across the street from the IOS. He noticed that a catering truck showed up every day like clockwork, probably delivering dinner for Tenma and Drake. He got an idea.

* * *

**Hoshie **was still hitting the sake bottle when Uma wasn't looking, but her consumption was way down from just a few days ago. She would feed herself as long as Uma was with her, and she would even leave the lounge to walk with her husband along the corridors of the office complex. She still said not a word, and would break into tears at a moments notice. Tobio almost never left her side, especially when Uma was in the laboratory working on the Tobio's robotic copy. The robot now appeared to be nearly ready for its power up and test.

**Poindexter** was studying the source code for the robot's AI. He drummed his fingers on the desk. Dr. Tenma came in and sat next to him.  
"You've been sitting at that computer console for a few days now. How close are we to being able to bring "Atom" to life?

When the Super Robot project had first been proposed and funded, the crew working in the Robotics laboratory started an email thread about picking a name for the prototype. Dr. Tenma said he'd agree with whatever the majority came up with. Various themes were explored, though space exploration and power were the most popular. In the end it was a tie between "Astro" and "Atom", the former being short for Astronaut, and the later a reference to the nuclear fusion power plant. Tenma had selected "Astro" for the full sized prototype, but after they had started building the scaled down model he started calling it "Atom", though this time it was size that was on his mind.

"The Kokoro AI software keeps failing the simulation test. It never gets out of the bootstrap – initialization phase, though it is clearly running correctly. I think that we are missing something in our understanding of Kutcher's theory. It may be that he never really finished developing a fully functional algorithm. I'm beginning to suspect that the entire discovery was simply theoretical, maybe even a dead end. The simulator isn't perfect though, what we have may yet work inside of a real robot with all of the sensors working and not simulated." Poindexter said.

"Then I guess we should just continue, power Atom up, and cross our fingers." Dr. Tenma replied.

"I guess. That plan of attack has usually worked for you before. I've read about your work Doctor. Many times you've forged ahead when others doubted your designs would work and yet they did."

"True, but never has so much been at stake. We must get little Atom on line. Hoshie needs him, I need him, and Kutcher deserves him." Tenma replied.

* * *

**Marukubi Boon **was certain that he was being followed. The Chinese mob had their soldiers looking for him. Unless he came up with Tenma's data to satisfy them he was living on borrowed time. That damn Kusai! Boon studied the floor plans for the Institute of Science. Even thought the building was heavily secured by cameras, robots, and all kinds of other devices it was still built by civilian contractors. Metro City law had required that all of the usual building permits be filed, and that included having all plans and blueprints be available. All of these, including the occupational plans and interior layout diagrams were on public filing, available on line to those that knew how to access the system. Boon was able to guess where the robotics laboratory was located, and he clearly saw the office areas. He located Tenma's bedroom suite easily on the plans, the blueprints had to show the bathroom facilities since they were on the building permits when they had been installed. Marukubi started to formulate a desperate last ditch plan.

* * *

**Dr. Ochanomizu** entered the robotics laboratory. Dr. Tenma and Poindexter Drake had already started running though their check list prior to attempting to bring the Super Robot to life. The diminutive android prototype lay on its back upon a raised operating table. The robot's chest panel was open and heavy cables were attached to points inside. The robot physically resembled a nine year old boy, about Tobio's size.

Actually it was a spitting image of the boy down to the gelled hair spikes that Tobio had sported. 'Atom', as he had been nicknamed, was dressed only in a black metallic brief topped with a green metal band that covered a joint between his upper and lower body. On his feet he wore red boots that covered his lower legs up to just below his knees. The boots contained much of the jet and rocket engine assemblies installed inside of him. Atom's face had the angelic look of a sleeping child. He looked so peaceful lying there on the table.

Tenma made some last minute adjustments to Atom's inner mechanisms with some special tools he inserted into the robot's chest cavity though the open panel. He looked at a computer monitor as he tweaked the internal adjustments, and was satisfied that all looked nominal.

Tobio stood near Dr. Ochanomizu, taking in the scene. He had mixed feelings about the robot. It was like he was being replaced, and thrown aside. Yet he wanted the robot to come to life. If his father had done his work as well as he always did, the robot would be perfect. His mother would have her son back in some form, and he would have to move on. But where would he go? It seemed like God had not yet decided that his soul was worthy to join him up in heaven. He hoped he wouldn't be sent down to the other place.

"So you are going to bring it to life today, Uma?" Ochanomizu asked.

"Oh hello, I didn't notice that you had come in. Yes, dear friend, now is the time. Do keep your fingers crossed for us though. I've never been so uncertain of the outcome of a project as I am now." Dr. Tenma sighed.

"First we have to bring the fusion battery to power." Tenma announced. This will have to be done slowly, and it may be dangerous. The work bench will be surrounded by a force field as soon as I start to power him up. Everyone please stand back!"

The laboratory lights dimmed as power was being transferred to the robot. The robot started to glow with an amber light that slowly increased in intensity. A 120 cycle hum emanated from the work table, and slowly grew louder and higher in pitch. As the power up procedure progressed, the entire work table became illuminated with a brilliant blueish white glare that slowly got brighter and brighter. The low pitched hum became a screaming shrill whistle that stabbed their ears with pain.

Dr. Tenma prepared for the final burst of power that would bring the robot's nuclear battery on line. He started a count down clock at 60 seconds which was displayed on the largest wall mounted monitor in the laboratory. Dr. Ochanomizu and Poindexter Drake held their hands over their ears, Tenma had already donned a pair of large ear muffs. As the clock reached ten seconds the glare from the robot was blinding and the sound, even with one's hands clamped tightly over one's ears was painful. Tobio wasn't bothered by either the sound or the light, as a ghost he could not feel any discomfort.

As the clock reached zero there was a final explosion from the work table and all was still. The force field surrounding the robot lifted and the systems monitors indicated that Atom was powered up, however his AI had not yet been installed.

"Now comes the part I've been dreading" Poindexter sighed.

Drake brought up the diagnostic panel for Atom's brain and initiated the bootstrap loader program. This would transfer the AI image from the laboratory simulator directly into the robot's computer brain. Once the binary program image was burned into Atom's program storage memory, the final step would be the initial bootstrap. If this worked, the android would come to life and wake up. If it didn't work, he'd be in a vegetative state, similar to a human in a coma. The download would take hours due to the incredible size of the binary image.

"I'm going to sit with Hoshie while we wait." Dr. Tenma replied.

"I'll text your Blackberry when the download completes." Drake told him. "Go keep your wife company."


	8. Chapter 8

**The Unchained Melody of Life**

_This story is yet another variation of the Astro Boy origin story. More emphasis has been placed on Tobio in this version than on Astro, for reasons that will become apparent as the tale unfolds._

_NOTE: Astro Boy is the creation of Osmau Tezuka._

**Chapter**_** Eight**_

**Dr. Tenma re-entered the robotics laboratory** to find Dr. Ochanomizu and Poindexter Drake standing over Atom. The robot still had the same peaceful look on his face, and was lying still on the operating table. A computer monitor hanging overhead displayed code usage and was now indicating a large loop within the initial system bootstrap.  
"It's been five minutes so far and his AI hasn't initiated itself. So far the behavior is exactly the same as it was on the simulator. The Kokoro is bootstrap is stuck in the initiation loop. He's not waking up." Drake said with his head bowed.

"Give it time. Some of my more complex AI systems sometimes took hours to run though their initialization loops on the first boot. Atom's processor is much faster and more powerful than those, but this AI system is also many orders of magnitude more complicated." Tenma answered.

**Several hours passed** but Atom failed to wake up. Tenma decided to leave the robot as it was hoping that the AI function would eventually run though the initialization functions and become sentient. He understood now what the problem might be. Poindexter had noticed the catch-22 issue right away. In order for the AI to achieve Kokoro it had to solve increasing more difficult problems, each one providing the answer seed to solve the next. The problem was that in order to solve the very first one a small seed of self awareness was required. It was a chicken and egg problem. The algorithm was convergent, but so very slowly.

"You guys better get ready for dinner! The catering order should be here soon. Poindexter, Ms. Knight will be waiting in the lobby by now. I'll keep watch here, all night if necessary!" Uma yelled out to his companions. Dr. Ochanomizu, and Drake left the laboratory headed for the dinning hall. Tenma sat at a terminal with his back turned toward Atom lying on the operating table. He keep studying the AI code, looking for an idea.

* * *

"**Tezuka Catering!"** the voice on the other end of the phone answered.

"I'd like to confirm the order for the Institute of Science," Boon replied.

"Hold on a sec, … , Yes we have it ready to go shrimp over rice, sushi assortment, ramen with curry, vegetable broth soup, steak cubes, green tea. The delivery man should be on his way in a few minutes."

"Very good. Oh, what's the license number of your delivery vehicle. We have increased security here." Boon asked.

"Hold on, let me look out the window, . . . , BJ9973"

"Thank you. I'll leave a nice tip for the driver." Boon laughed.

"Well that was easy!" Boon thought. Now all he had to do was wait for the caterer's delivery van and hijack it. The evening dinner's delivery would be his ticket into the complex.

* * *

**Tobio **stood next to Atom, lying on the table. Why had his father failed at bringing it to life? What was wrong? He felt connected to the robot somehow. Suddenly Tobio remembered something the poltergeist had told him. Something about being able to enter a willing person's mind and share their body. It was how a ghost could briefly experience life again. Could he do that with the robot?

Tobio sat down on the edge of the operating table. He lay down next to Atom and tried to roll over and enter the robot's body. He felt a strange feeling as he got close to Atom, it was like the two of them were one and the same. Tobio's being slipped into the robot and connected. He could feel the table beneath him with Atom's sense of feel. Tobio took a breath using Atom's lungs and he could taste the ozone still hanging in the air of the laboratory.

Tobio opened Atom's eyes and he could see the ceiling of the laboratory vividly. He drummed Atom's fingers on the table and he could feel the rough fibers of the cloth covering. Tobio felt for Atom's muscles and raised his head and back. He sat up on the operating table and saw his father still paging through the code that had failed to initialize.

"Dad?" Tobio called.

Dr. Tenma turned and saw Atom sitting up, and he almost had a heart attack.

"Atom?" he asked "you woke?"

"No. I'm Tobio!" Tobio answered using the robot's voice.

"Drake, Get over here, now!" Tenma called into the intercom.

**Poindexter** was halfway to the dinning hall when he heard the intercom and ran back to the laboratory. He got there to see the robot standing next to Tenma.

"He insists that he is Tobio, not Atom. He claims that he has taken over the robot, that he is my son's spirit." Tenma said.

"I can test for that!" Poindexter said. "Wait a minute."

Poindexter ran back to his office. He dug though a closet and found a modified digital camera he had built years ago for an experiment. He returned to the robotics laboratory with the device in hand.

"This camera was modified to perform Kirlian Photography. It can capture the aura of a living thing. I once used it during an experiment in a haunted house to take pictures of ghosts." He said.

"You're crazy!" Tenma laughed.

"Like a fox. It actually captured the images of several spirits that night. I still don't understand it, but there is something to these ghost stories. Hoshie might have actually felt your son's spirit"

Poindexter dimmed the laboratory lights and connected the camera to a monitor. He pointed it at the robot.  
"This imager shouldn't be able to see an aura around a robot, even one with a fully functional AI, because it is not a true life force. On the other hand …."

Tobio's aura appeared on the monitor surrounding the robot. Tenma gasped and Poindexter smiled. The boy's spirit was present and inhabited the robot. Tenma walked toward Atom and embraced him.  
"Tobio!"

Tobio hugged his father for the first time in weeks. He started to cry and felt the tears flowing down the robot's cheeks.  
"Dad!"

"Come, let's surprise your mother!" Tenma cried.

* * *

**Boon waited a few blocks** from the IOS for the delivery van. He soon spotted it and he confirmed the license tag number. While the van stopped for a red light, Boon ran up to the vehicle and pointed his Luger at the driver, and motioned for him to get out.  
"Hand me your wallet and ID cards!" Boon told him.

The driver complied. "Your jacket too!" Boon added on a second thought.

Boon used the grip of the gun as a Blackjack on the driver's head to knock him out, and left him sitting on the sidewalk. He got into the van and drove off.

The robot security guard at the gate checked the company ID card's RF ID tag and let Boon drive in to the parking lot. He opened the back of the van and grabbed the insulated container labeled as the order for the IOS. Boon entered the building and proceeded toward the office area. He knew where Tenma's wife would be, in the doctor's lounge. Boon found the bedroom suite and tried the door. It was ajar and he entered. Hoshie was sitting on the futon waiting for Uma to return. Boon grabbed her and pressed the luger to her side.

"Keep quiet Mrs. Tenma and I won't have to hurt you. You are going to be my guest for a while."

Boon dragged Hoshie with him toward the door leading toward the parking area where he left the van. Hoshie tried to break free from him and knocked some of Tobio's mementos off the dresser top.

**Atom/Tobio **and Dr. Tenma found the door to the bedroom open and Hoshie gone. The room was a mess as if a struggle had taken place.  
"What the?" Tenma said.

Atom/Tobio discovered he could increase the gain on the robot's ears by at least 1000 times. He cranked it up and heard his mother's voice crying. He cupped his hands to his ears and turned his head to locate the source of the sound. Atom/Tobio started to run for the front door of the complex with Uma following. They passed by the dinning hall entrance where Drake was standing with Ochanomizu. Drake saw Atom running and followed them.

As they exited the building, they saw they were too late. Atom/Tobio saw Boon throw Hoshie into the van. He hit the accelerator and speed off.  
"You take off after them, and I'll follow you in my car." Uma told Atom/Tobio. "I can track your position via network."

**Uma **looked at Poindexter and told him, "Go to my office and get my laptop computer. It has a tracking receiver for the transmitter inside of Atom. Meet me in the parking lot."

Atom/Tobio ran after the van, but boon was moving too fast for him to keep up on foot. Tobio discovered the robot's jet ability and he jumped into the sky. Atom/Tobio flew over the speeding van, waiting for Boon to stop someplace.

**Boon** drove the van toward the edge of town, heading for the industrial area where his hideout was located. He left the downtown area, and passed the point where the subway commuter rail line emerged from its tunnel, and the tracks ran on a raised right of way that ran parallel to the road.

**The van's** engine started to sputter. Boon looked at the dashboard and saw that he was running out of gas. He was still a ways from his hideout located on the other side of the tracks. Boon used the last of the van's fuel to get him close to the rail line. Night had fallen, and it was quite dark as there were few street lights.

**Dr. Tenma** drove one of the Institutes automobiles in the direction that Boon had taken off in. Poindexter had the computer sitting on his lap with the tracking program open. The laptop displayed a map of the area, a blinking icon showed Atom's position. It had just stopped moving, and was located on the edge of the city.

**Boon **dragged Hoshie out of the van and walked toward the railroad tracks. He climbed the gradual incline leading from the street level to the tracks, with the intention of getting to the other side. Hoshie had a hard time keeping her footing on the gravel lining the right of way. Atom landed a few feet away and glared at Boon.  
"Let go of my mother!" He yelled, and then blinded Boon in the glare of his eye's searchlights. His arms morphed into cannons which he aimed at Boon's head.

Boon pressed the luger closer to Hoshie's head.  
"Keep back or the woman gets it!" He shouted back. "I mean it!"

**In the distance **the head lights of an approaching automobile rounded a turn in the road. From the car, Dr. Tenma and Poindexter could see the stalled van in the distance. The doors were open and the van was empty.

Atom/Tobio slowly took a step toward Boon. Boon took a step back and climbed a bit higher up the embankment, dragging Hoshie with him. He reached the top and stood on one of the track cross ties. Atom kept him in his spotlights.  
"Damn you! Let go of my Mother!" he yelled.

Boon held the pistol even tighter against Hoshie. Atom/Tobio gauged the distance, Boon's likely reflex timing, and his own speed. His arms morphed back to normal, and he suddenly lit his jet engines and flew toward the man. Before Boon could pull the trigger, Atom/Tobio had grabbed Hoshie clear of him and had her safely behind the van.

The force of Atom/Tobio's flight knocked Boon off his feet. He stumbled and the gun discharged into the air. Boon fell onto the tracks and his left hand landed on the third rail. 1000 volts of electricity passed though his body and he lay there rigid as the current paralyzed him. His teeth clenched and blood oozed from his mouth. Smoke wafted from his nose and ears. Sparks shot up from the track.

Atom/Tobio flew back to where Boon lay, now a charred, smoking corpse.

Boon's spirit climbed out of his dead body and looked around. Tobio saw Boon's ghost with his own eyes and felt satisfied. Before Boon could do anything, the ground between the two tracks opened up to reveal a bottomless pit. The smell of brimstone rose from the opening and several dozen hideous looking dark creatures climbed out of the crevasse. Just as they had Skunk, the demons dragged Boon toward his final destination, deep within the bowels of the earth. After the last of the foul creatures had jumped back into the pit, the hole in the ground closed up as if it had never been there.

**Dr. Tenma and Poindexter** found Hoshie standing by the side of the van. Atom/Tobio quickly landed by her side. Hoshie got her first good look at the robot and saw Tobio's face again. She cried happy tears and hugged the android.

Suddenly the sky above them started to glow. A column of light descended from the clouds and took the shape of a long staircase extending from the ground, about fifty feet in front of them, up to the top of the clouds. The glow was a pleasant one to the eyes, not a bright glare, but not faint either. It sparkled with a heavenly radiance. Several dozen angelic creatures descended from the clouds and took their positions along the staircase. They seemed to beckon to Tobio.

Atom/Tobio took on a blue glow. Tobio's aura became visible surrounding the robot's body. Tobio felt a strange and wonderful warmth throughout his being. He felt love coming down from the heavens to fill his soul. He suddenly knew that God had not forgotten him. He was being called home now, his mission on earth was finally finished.

"Mother! Father!" He cried running towards them. Tobio/Atom gave his parents a final hug goodbye. He looked over his shoulder and saw the glow of the staircase pulsing and calling him louder and louder.

Hoshie released her son and cried happy tears. Suddenly Atom fell toward the ground as Tobio's spirit released him. Tobio's aura glowed brightly and was visible to the three people standing in front of him. Tobio turned and slowly walked toward the light. He looked back and waved a final time from the staircase as he ascended to heaven. The staircase rose from the ground and disappeared into the clouds. There were several cloud to cloud lighting flashes and then all was quiet.

**Poindexter, Uma, and Hoshie** stood in awe at what they had been privileged to witness.

Suddenly Atom's body opened its eyes and sat up.  
"Mother?" he asked, looking at Hoshie.

Hoshie put her arms around Atom and hugged him.  
"You're back" she cooed.

Poindexter face palmed and smiled.

"That was the key!" He told Dr. Tenma. "The presence of Tobio's soul in the robot was the seed needed to bootstrap the Kokoro AI. He left an imprint of his memories in Atom when he left. As soon as your son's spirit departed the robot, it rebooted and the Kokoro AI fully initialized!"

Uma, Hoshie and Atom returned home. The Super Robot had all of Tobio Tenma's memories. Hoshie's maternal instincts attached to the android and she accepted it as her son. She called him Atom, so as not to confuse him with her real boy who was now with the angels. Uma remained devoted to his wife and family. He never forgot Tobio, and sometimes would become teary eyed when Atom acted just a bit too much like his real son.

Atom remembered who he used to be, and tried to figure out what he was. The world would soon depend on his abilities, and to the end of his days, he would never let mankind down.

**___The End_**

* * *

___Author's Notes:_

___This was a very emotional story to write. Not only was it a tragic story, but also a story of a mother's love for her child. In case you haven't guessed by now, I was very influenced by the plot of the 1990 film "Ghost". I didn't consider this a cross over because none of the canon characters from the movie appear in this story (well, maybe the nameless poltergeist). I did use some of the movie's plot themes, but this story is still basically the origin story of Atom. I made use of a few of Tezuka's star system actors in their type case roles, and introduced one important original character, Poindexter Drake. He's been in a few of my previous Astro fan fic's, though this time he is a 'good guy'. The name Drake is sometimes given by Tezuka to his character 'Lamp'._

___Finally, Hoshie Tenma is here, and Dr. Uma Tenma is no longer the self centered fink that Tezuka has him. I think the guy deserves some respect for a change. _


End file.
